Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force

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All Rise...

All Judge Franck Tabouring knows how to hunt are bargains.

The Charge

The bad guys have nowhere to hide…

The Case

A&E has been cranking out a bunch of cop shows during the past years, and
the latest to join the world of reality TV is Manhunters: Fugitive Task
Force, a series about a group of New York-based U.S. marshals whose mission
it is to catch the nation's most-wanted fugitives. Now you can experience the
first season's twenty episodes on DVD:

Much like any other cop reality show these days, Manhunters: Fugitive
Task Force follows an elite group of experienced and highly trained marshals
as they head out to hunt down and arrest the most vicious criminals across the
nation. From drug dealers to rapists, murderers, and any other fugitives, these
men and women show no mercy when it comes to getting the bad guys off the street
and into a prison cell.

The structure of the show is pretty straightforward, as a crew rides along
with the agents of the New York and New Jersey divisions, the busiest units in
the country. Most episodes begin in the marshals' offices with meetings, during
which one or more fugitives are introduced. Following is an extensive
investigation into where the suspect may be hiding out, and once a potential
location has been determined, the marshals head out to knock on doors in an
attempt to catch the folks they're after.

The action can get pretty intense, and that's what I like about this show.
Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force is fast-paced and well-edited, and, even
though we rarely get to see what really goes on inside after the agents storm
into a home to make an arrest, most episodes generate enough tension to capture
viewers' attention. It's quite interesting to see how these experts plan an
arrest once a suspect has been tracked down to a location.

Of course, finding a fugitive is not always easy, and, in some episodes, the
marshals are really struggling to find a lead. Needless to say, they are doing
an important job, and watching them do what they do best is both intriguing and
entertaining. None of this is exactly spectacular, but there's something about
it that just makes it all interesting enough to watch.

Interviews with members of the task force and the use of interactive maps
via Google Earth to highlight destinations and suspect locations complement the
field footage well, and to be honest, not one of these episodes are in any way
boring or too monotonous. Their routine may not change that often, but the
nature of the cases they receive does, which obviously helps the series preserve
a sense of novelty.

The bonus material on this three-disc set includes an audio commentary for
"Third Time's a Charm." Also included is "Meet the Task
Force," a short featurette that introduces all the agents you get to see
throughout the series. The special features also include some additional footage
and interviews with some of the agents, who discuss the importance of the task
force, how it came into being, and how it really operates around the
country.

Technically, the set offers a clean full-frame transfer with decent picture
quality. Sound is good as well.

Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force is a fun show I found very easy to
enjoy. It's one of those television series you simply can't stop watching, and
that's definitely a good sign. I'm not a big fan of reality TV, but this program
definitely caught my interest.